Optical probes are often employed to probe integrated circuits. Typically, an integrated circuit to be probed is placed in a die plate, which in turn is mated with an annular cold plate to remove heat generated by the integrated circuit during probing.
As the operating speed of integrated circuits continues to increase, so does the amount of heat generated during probing, and needs to be removed. Experience has shown that the current generation of annular cold plate is unlikely to be able to meet the heat removal requirement of the next generation of high speed integrated circuits.